title: Parental affectionless control and suicidality.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Although poor parental bonding is a known risk factor for suicidality, current literature is inconsistent about the relative role of low parental care and parental overprotection, as well as the combination of the two, termed "affectionless control". This review presents the current state of knowledge of the relationship between suicidality and these two aspects of parental bonding.
  
  
  METHODS
  The computerized databases Medline, PubMed, PsychINFO, PsychLit, and Google Scholar were searched using combinations of the following keywords: suicidality, suicide, suicide attempt, suicidal behavior, parental bonding, and parental bonding instrument. Using the results, we reviewed the reports on the relationship between suicidality and parental bonding as measured by validated parental bonding instruments.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twelve papers were analyzed. All of them used the parental bonding instrument (PBI) and one used both the PBI and the object representation inventory (ORI). Most reports agreed that, in mothers, either lack of maternal care and/or overprotection was associated with an increase in suicidal behavior, while in fathers only low care was consistently associated with suicidality. This lack of constancy with regard to the effect of paternal overprotection appears to be due to cultural differences in fathers' role in child rearing. With these differences acknowledged, affectionless control in both parents emerges as the parenting style most strongly associated with suicidal behavior. Common methodological problems included low numbers of subjects, inconsistent control groups, and the lack of a uniform definition of suicidality.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite methodological limitations, current literature consistently indicates that parental affectionless control is associated with suicidal behavior. Recognizing affectionless control as a risk factor for suicide and developing early interventions aimed at modifying affectionless and overprotective parenting style in families with a history of affective disorders may be effective in reducing suicidal risk.
authors.affiliation: Beth Israel Medical Center NY, Department of Psychiatry, 1st Avenue and 15th street, New York, NA 10003, USA. simonagoschin@gmail.com
authors.forename: Simona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Goschin
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Briggs
authors.forename: Sally
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Blanco-Lutzen
authors.forename: Lisa J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.forename: Igor
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Galynker
mesh_terms: D000884:Anthropology, Cultural; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009769:Object Attachment; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology*; D012737:Sex Factors; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology*; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000523:psychology
keywords: Parental bonding; Parental bonding instrument; Suicidal behavior; Suicidality; Suicide; Suicide attempt